Pricing/Availability: International trade of this species is currently (and rightfully) restricted. National parks and other protected areas within Madagascar have been plundered for their valuable rosewood logs. At present, only residual stockpiles of small turning and carving blanks are available at very high prices.

Sustainability: Bois de Rose is listed on CITES appendix II under the genus-wide restriction on all Dalbergia species—which also includes finished products made of the wood. It is also listed on the IUCN Red List as endangered due to a population reduction of over 50% in the past three generations, caused by a decline in their natural range, and exploitation.

Comments: This sought-after and prized hardwood is only found on the African island of Madagascar. Bois de Rose is french for “rosewood,” and it is in the true rosewood genus (Dalbergia), and could rightly be referred to as Madagascar Rosewood. But to avoid confusion, the common name Madagascar Rosewood belongs to another tree species endemic to Madagascar: Dalbergia baronii.

7 Comments

Always wanted some Bois de Rose, [dalbergia maritima] and finally got a great billet @16 years ago. Freshly sanded it is vivid purple–tyrian purple to be exact, and pink. French polished, it shines like a black opal. Breathtaking! None has come up on my radar since, except one warped thinwood piece sent as a sample. Brazilian is quite plentiful by comparison. No other rosewood can compare to this rare, gorgeous wood. I’ve been known to sand it just for the smell. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a965827ac767450ac24abfc9ed404e4fe127d997c09e13cb1933a61ad20d661d.png

You don’t mention sapwood in this article,but this wood does indeed have a very, very, thin sapwood that is rarely seen, but it is there, it is creamy white, and often separated from heart wood with a dark black line. I had never seen this woods sapwood until I got my hands on an very old live edge piece.

I strongly disagree. This wood is not brittle. “Bois De Rose” wood
has more elasticity than “African Blackwood”. I am sure of it. “African Blackwood” is more stiff on the other hand and far less elastic.

I just worked with this species this morning. It works a lot like African blackwood – hard and somewhat brittle. The results can be beautiful. You have to “machine” it like stone or metal, more than cut it. Careful about overheating it. Burns easily.

Bois de Rose is listed on CITES appendix II under the genus-wide restriction on all Dalbergia species—which also includes finished products made of the wood. It is also listed on the IUCN Red List as endangered due to a population reduction of over 50% in the past three generations, caused by a decline in their natural range, and exploitation.